Spring hinge



Jan. 3, 1950 v J. a. owls 2,493,019

' SPRING HINGE Filed March 30 l946 FUUTJ.

/NVENTOR JAMES E. OLVIS ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

SPRING HINGE James E. Olvis, Glendale, Calif.

Application March 30, 1946, Serial No. 658,453

5 Claims. 16-189.)

This invention relates to a manually controllable door closing device.

More specifically speaking the invention pertains to the combination,with a spring-carrying door hinge structure; of a simplified means,which supplants one of the leaves of an, ordinary door hinge, forplacing the spring of the hinge into either an operative or aninoperative relation to the door, so that the device may either beadjusted automatically to close the door, or to place it in a conditionfor being left more or less open, at the option of the user.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simplified means forperforming the above noted functions, one that can be manufactured at alowered cost, and also a superior arrangement of parts that can bemanually adjusted with speed and rapidity either to render operative orinoperative the spring carried by the hinge.

Another object is to provide a door closing device which may either beused, by itself, as a spring hinge structure to swingably mount and toautomatically close small swingable doors, or which may conveniently becombined with the uppermost hinge of a large swingable door.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafterappear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferredembodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device mounted in its operativeposition, a fragment of the door frame and of the door being included inthe view.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 differs from Fig. 2 only in that the adjustable shuttle is shownadjusted to the position wherein the spring of the hinge is renderedinoperative.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the door hinge element showncomprises a single hinge leaf 5 which carries at its lower end a flange6 and at its upper end a flange 1, both of said flanges being directedaway from the door frame member 8 to which the hinge leaf is shownattached by screws 9. Said hinge element is provided with a hinge pin I0which bridges the space between said flanges and the upper end of whichprojects beyond the uppermost flange While its lower end extends downinto a conventional upper door hinge I l taking the place of theconventional pin of the upper hinge of the door. A spiral door closingspring I2 is coiled around the part of said pin occupying the spacebetween said flanges 6 and I, the lower flange being nished at its outerend with a stop lug [3 to hold the lower end of said spring in a fixedposition thus preventing theuncoiling of the spring. The upper flange 1is likewise provided With a, stop lug M which prevents. the spring fromuncoiiing to a greater extent than is pos-i sible when the partshereinafter described which cooperate with the spring are so adjusted t0render the spring inoperative.

To the part of the hinge pin which projec 1 above the upper flange l isswiveled theshank portion it of a wing I1, said wing beingchannel-shaped in cross section and having its body portion secured in aflatwise abutting manner to the door i 8 in any suitable manner, as forexample, by screws [9.

In a slightly spaced relation to the body portion of the wing i! thereare provided a pair of guide pins 20 and 2!, said pins both beingslightly spaced away from the body portion of the wing and bridging thespace between the flanges thereof. Said guide pins afford a means forkeeping in place and for guiding and limiting the reciprocatory movementof a shuttle member 22 which consists of a piece of strap metal bent tothe shape of a broad rectangular U provided with the end flanges 23 and24.

When said shuttle member is adjusted at the limit of its travel towardthe hinge pin as shown in Fig. 2 its right hand or outer flange 24 abutsagainst the pin 2|, the opposite end flange 23 of the shuttle then beingin a position to be at all times engaged by the adjacent end portion ofthe coil spring, which therefore under such circumstances always actsautomatically to swing the door to a closed position. When, however, theshuttle member 22 is adjusted to the outer limit of its travel as shownin Fig. 3 its inner end flange 23 clears the adjacent end of the coilspring and renders said spring inoperative so that the door Will remainopen at any position to which it may be adjusted by the operator. Theouter end flange 24 of said shuttle member affords a convenient handholdfor the operator when he adjusts the shuttle member to the desiredposition.

I claim:

1. A hinge having a single leaf attachable to one of two membersfastened together in a swingable relation to each other, said leafhaving an apertured flange across each end projecting toward the sameface of the leaf, a hinge pin bridging the space between said flangesand projecting beyond one of them, a spiral doorclosing spring coiledaround the part of said pin occupying the space between said flanges,means carried by one of said flanges to hold one end of said spring in afixed position to prevent uncoiling of the spring, a stop carried by theother of said flanges to limit the uncoiling movement of the oppositeend of the spring after the spring has uncoiled sufliciently to closethe door, a wing swiveled to the aforesaid projecting portion of saidhinge pin, said wing being attached to the door, and a shuttle membermounted upon said wing and adjustable to and from a position wherein itis engageable by the last recited end of the aforesaid spring, thusrendering said spring operative or inoperative as a door closing forceaccording to the adjustment of said shuttle member.

2. A hinge including the structure of claim 1 in which the hinge pin isprovided with a downwardly extending lower end portion adapted to serveas the pintle member of a conventional hinge.

3. In that type of hinge which comprises a hinge pin having adoor-closing spring coiled around it, guide means attached to the dooradjacent to the hinge pin, and an elongated shuttle member mounted onsaid guide means, said shuttle member being manually slidable to andfrom a position wherein one of its ends is at times in the path of anend portion of said spring, thus to render said spring operative orinoperative as a door closing means.

4. The subject matter of claim 3, and said shuttle member consisting ofa piece of strap 4 metal shaped as a broad rectangular U one arm ofwhich afiords a fingerhold for the operator, and the other arm of whichis positionable to and from an intercepting relation to an end portionof said spring.

5. In that type of hinge which comprises a hinge pin having adoor-closing spring coiled around it, guide means attached to the dooradjacent to the hinge pin, and an elongated shuttle member mounted onsaid guide means, said shuttle member consisting of an elongated broadlyU-shaped rigid strap manually slidable to and from a position whereinone of its arms is at times in the path of an end portion of saidspring,

thus to render said spring operative or inoperative as a door closingmeans, said guide means comprising a channel-shaped member having itsbody portion attached to the door, said shuttle member having a workingfit in the channel thereof, and two keeper pins for said shuttle memberbridging the space between the side of said channel-shaped member.

JAMES E. OLVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,332,591 Arthur Mar. 2, 19201,553,796 Anderson Sept. 15, 1925 1,612,237 Thornton Dec. 28, 1926

